Connecting the Dots: Food + Culture = Agriculture.

In 2010, we added a food lab to the traditionally lecture-based World Crops and Cropping Systems course at Virginia Tech. This is upper-division undergraduate class intended for both major and non-majors.  The overall objective of the food lab, which is taught in conjunction with the lecture, is to expose students to the unprocessed crop commodity, how it is produced, consumed and the culture surrounding its usage. On a weekly basis, students make dishes from the crops discussed in the classroom lecture. A total of 60 students, 20 students per 3 lab period, are assigned into all male, mix or female groups of 5 students each. The recipes for the food lab are generated from the students as well as other sources and include cultures ranging from India to the United States. The recipes for upcoming labs are posted on the web prior to each cooking lab. The outcome of the food lab exceeded expectations and student comments were favorable.  This approach gives students a greater appreciation of world crop production, processing, usage and preparation as nutritious food from field to fork.